


Ghosts of Yuletide Past

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Charmed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-19
Updated: 2004-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 08:19:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1641104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Piper & Leo spend a few quiet moments on Yule eve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghosts of Yuletide Past

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Dragonsinger

 

 

It wasn't often that Piper would take some time for herself - but here it was, the evening of the Solstice - Yule - and she had done her best to make a good holiday for her husband and children. Wyatt was old enough now to understand presents and Santa, and while Chris still didn't quite 'get it', he would follow along behind whatever Wyatt did. Baby Melinda, named for their first Halliwell witch ancestress, only understood that the bright, sparkly lights were pretty, and that the ornaments at the bottom of the tree tasted best.

She wandered through the manor, reveling in the fact that it was a real home now - with a real family - not the collection of siblings and sibling bed partners and random strays that had always seemed to populate it's rooms before. Now, it was just Leo and Piper and the children - with proper, normal visits from her sisters. Well...as normal as someone 'orbing' in could be. At least they tended to orb in, in the foyer, and knocked on the inside of the door, for propriety's sake. The time Paige had showed up on the landing and Leo and Piper were busy making their way up the stairs, one thrust at a time, had sent that particular request for privacy firmly into action. It was difficult enough most days to be able to get some time together without the Elder's summoning Leo or the children not getting to sleep on time. Boundaries -had- to be set or there would never have been a little Melinda!

The scent of the bergamot blend in the steaming cup of tea she carried as she wandered, filled Piper's senses, easing some of the day's tension and urging her to sip...and sip again. It was nearly eleven at night and Leo was out, helping one of his charges. The children were all tucked into bed, and she had the peaceful house to herself for a few, rare, precious moments.

Stopping to stare at the new wicker tea table in the conservatory, brought a blush to her cheeks and a sparkle to her eyes. The table had been purchased to replace the one that had been smashed into a million little fragments when her levitation spell suddenly failed because she got a little too distracted by the mid-air sexual escapades.

The proprietors of the second hand and antique shops in the area knew Piper and her sisters well. A couple of years ago it had been the standard joke among the shop owners that there wasn't enough house for all of the furniture the girls bought - and now it was just an odd, somewhat defensive look as the current rumor had them considering opening their own antique shop. What else would they be doing with so much furniture?

The sweet smell of the spruce tree in the corner of the parlor drew her wandering feet in that direction. A living tree, root ball and all, set into a large half-oak cask with water, was their Yule tradition. Later, it would be planted once again with gifts to the Powers that Be placed beneath it in thanks and blessing. The small white and gold lights shimmered in reflection on the old and new ornaments scattered within the branches. Gold glass apples twirled in a faint air current, good fortune for the new year, while stuffed birds with real feathers perched on branches beside the little nests the boys had found in the park. More luck and blessings for the house, woven into each tradition. On the top, a silver and gold 'Sunburst' ornament instead of an angel or a star. It seemed a little odd to put an -angel- up there, when they had their own live one wandering around with them.

Curling into the corner of the loveseat nearest the tree, Piper sipped her tea and smiled. Peace. Quiet. Contentment. Things that they so rarely had the chance to enjoy.

\---

That was how Leo found her when he finally got home - curled into the corner of the loveseat, the fire burned low on the hearth, the tree's glow the only illumination in the room and the cooled dregs of her tea in the cup still tucked into one limp hand. He would've been worried if not for the smile on her face. Step quiet, he moved to her and bent to kiss her brow, one hand reaching for the cup to pull it free and set it aside. "Piper..." he murmured.

A sleepy mumble slipped from her lips. "Hmmm?"   
"Let's get you up to bed."   
"I'm comfy..." she murmurs softly. Leo's smile grew as he settled into the loveseat beside her, pulling her closer into his arms as she snuggled in. One hand slowly stroking her hair, he let out a quiet breath, gaze drifting over to the tree. The traditions this family had were ties that bound them ever more firmly to each other. He remembered other traditions, other families - his first Christmas with Lilly, before he went to war, his first Christmas as a whitelighter, watching over his charge, Maia, while she slept...and now, this Christmas...with his three children, his wife, and a home of their own. All Piper had ever wanted with them was a peaceful, 'normal' home life. Well, this may not exactly be 'normal' - but it was relatively peaceful. Each had their tasks and duties, and now with a good manager running P3, Piper was able to stay home with the kids and tend to her witchly duties. These years go by so fast, he was glad that she had this chance to enjoy their childhood.

A faint frown wrinkled his brow as his thoughts continued. Wyatt's orbing had finally got to the point where they'd had to put a magical 'homing device' on his ability - a way to 'pull' him home when he took off in a fit of temper. Chris was Wyatt's shadow still, but they knew well that that was not going to last much longer. Melinda had not shown her orbing talents yet, but there was an obvious telekinetic skill, much like her aunt Prudence's. At the thought of Pru, Leo's grip tightened on Piper's shoulder and she whimpered softly in her sleep. He eased the tension and then closed his eyes, remembering the one time he'd shared Pru's bed.

He'd never thought himself the leather and handcuffs type - but Pru showed him just how much pleasure could be obtained from having no control. It scared him, how easy it was to drop into the abyss - and the gleam of 'knowing' in her eyes always gave him a bit of a twitch. He never dared give her that kind of control over him again - and while there were times he dreamed of her body pressed against his own, he always woke in a cold sweat, heart racing, to reach out for Piper and draw her near.

'Speaking' of near, Leo tugged Piper into his lap a bit more firmly and rose from the loveseat, heading for the stairs. It was time to make Melinda a sister - and this time, he was going to make his next child in a -bed-. Not one of them had been created in a bed yet - even Melinda had been created on their way up the stairs - one of Piper's favorite methods of getting from parlor to bedroom.

This time, however....the light brightened and dimmed and he orbed them up to their bedroom, laying Piper on the bed and beginning to undress her, pausing now and then to remove some of his own clothing.

A softly murmured "Merry Yule" purrs from Pipers lips as she welcomes him...home. Once again, to try and wipe the memory of her sister from her husband's thoughts. Oh, Piper knew. And everyone thought Pru's death had been an accident. Guilt came afterwards - guilt that perhaps she'd lose her powers now that Pru was gone - so easily misinterpreted. Piper murmured low into her panting husband's ear. "Always, you and I, Leo - forever, through time. No one else will ever share this magic."

Outside the window, the dawn of Yule slowly tinted the sky, signalling the end of the longest night.

 


End file.
